


Marked

by Dreamin



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Pepperony - Freeform, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-21 16:42:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14919083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamin/pseuds/Dreamin
Summary: Tony wonders why his soulmate tattoo says "Virginia" when it's Pepper who leaves him breathless.





	Marked

**Author's Note:**

  * For [afteriwake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/gifts).



> My first try at a soulmate/soulmark fic.

**December 16, 1991**

Tony Stark didn’t notice that his life had changed until he was halfway down the stairs. One stray glance at his wrist and he stopped dead.

_Who the hell is Virginia?_

He was still staring at his wrist as he absently followed the sound of the piano coming from the living room.

“Morning, Mom,” he said as he sat down on the couch.

Maria Stark smiled fondly at her son. “Afternoon, Tony. What has you so fascinated? Have you suddenly taken up palm-reading?”

“Funny,” Tony muttered, then he raised his hand, the name Virginia written across his wrist with black ink.

Maria’s face lit up. “Your tattoo! I was beginning to worry you’d spend the rest of your life alone.” She gently took his hand to examine it closely. “Cursive. Flawless, elegant. Your soulmate has a very nice signature. I’d say she’s very careful and methodical. Precise.”

“I wouldn’t know,” he said as he took his hand back. “I haven’t met her yet.”

“Obviously,” she said, smirking, “or the tattoo would disappear. Oh, I can’t wait to tell your father!”

“Do you have to?” he asked, his tone whinier than he would’ve liked. “Why does he have to know?”

“You’re my son, that’s why,” Howard said from the doorway, smirking. “Just one, then? With the way you are with women, I was expecting fifteen or twenty.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Didn’t you say Captain America had two?”

“Yes, the first one disappeared when he met Peggy. The second one… Well, no one could explain why he still had another name on his wrist when his plane…” He trailed off then shook his head a bit. “But enough of that. Don’t burn the house down while we’re gone.”

“No promises,” Tony said, smirking.

“Do you know any Virginias, dear?” Maria asked her husband. “I don’t.”

Howard grinned. “The only Virginias I know are in their seventies. Maybe Tony will be in a May-December relationship.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“We have to get going or we’ll miss our flight,” Howard said. “We’ll call when we get to the hotel.”

“No loud parties,” Maria said as she hugged Tony.

“So, quiet parties are okay?” Tony asked, grinning. “Good to know.”

“Remember, you’re replacing everything that gets broken,” Howard said sternly. “We’ll be back Monday.”

“Right, Monday. Have fun in the Bahamas.”

They left, Maria still talking about his newly-emerged tattoo.

A small part of him knew it was irrational, but when the police came to the house and told him about the accident, he felt like it was the tattoo’s fault, that the proof that he did indeed have a soulmate had distracted his parents enough to cause the accident. That night, the first of many sleepless nights, he lay in bed, unable to think of anything except his last moments with his parents. He caught a glimpse of his left wrist in the ambient light coming in from outside and anger welled up inside him.

“Fuck you, Virginia. They’re dead because of you.”

After that, he started wearing something to hide the tattoo from his own eyes. Watches, long sleeves, whatever worked. Tony fervently hoped he was one of the “unfortunate” few who never met their soulmate.

_I know I’d hate her on sight if I did._

* * *

**Afghanistan, 2008**

Tony was working on the schematics for the suit when Yinsen noticed the tattoo.

“‘Virginia,’ a beautiful name,” he said, smiling. “Do you ever wonder if she’s just as beautiful?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Look, I know most people get starry-eyed over these damn tattoos but I think the whole soulmate thing is a bunch of bullshit. I’ve met a couple of women named Virginia and neither of them did a thing for me. There were no fireworks, sense of elation, or any other symptom other people say they feel when they meet the one they’re supposed to be with forever.”

Yinsen smirked. “You make love sound like a disease.”

“This,” Tony said irritably, pointing to his wrist, “isn’t love. It’s the universe fucking with me.”

“You’ve never felt anything when you first met someone?” He smiled sadly. “My wife wrote a paper on soulmate tattoos. She’s a romantic, so it was an appropriate topic. How old were you when it appeared?”

Tony hesitated for a moment. “Twenty-one,” he muttered, turning back to the drawing board.

“Ah, a late bloomer.”

“Only in this one thing,” he muttered. “Look, it’s obviously wrong. I’ve only met one person who made me feel like I’d been punched in the gut when I first saw her, and her name’s Pepper, not Virginia.”

Yinsen smiled knowingly. “Are you sure about that?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “If there’s one thing I’m sure about, it’s Pep.”

* * *

**Malibu, 2008**

He was working on the Mach II suit when he unthinkingly pushed his shirtsleeves up. Without a watch on, the sight of the tattoo surprised him for a moment, then he glared at it. _Fuck you, Virginia._ After so many years, the thought was automatic, like a mantra. “Jarvis?”

“Yes, sir?” the AI asked curiously.

“Do I know any Virginias?” It was a question he had to ask once in a while. _Every genius is bad at something. For me, it’s names._

For the first time in his existence, Jarvis hesitated.

Tony looked up at the ceiling, curious. “Cat got your voice synthesizer?”

“Sir … there is something I’ve been keeping from you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Please tell me you’re not in love with the Keurig.”

“Hardly,” the AI snarked. “I prefer the KitchenAid.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Okay, Jarvis, out with it.”

“You never actually read your employees’ personnel files, do you, sir? I believe it’s time to start.”

Pepper’s file appeared on the pane of glass in front of him. Tony’s jaw dropped when he saw the top.

**Name: Virginia Potts**

“Why didn’t you tell me this when she came in for her interview?”

“There was a high probability that if you knew Ms. Potts’ real name, you would refuse to hire her and I felt she deserved the position.”

 _He’s right._ “I don’t need a soulmate,” he muttered.

“But you do need Ms. Potts,” Jarvis said gently.

“If Pep’s really my soulmate, then why do I still have-” He glanced at his wrist. The tattoo was gone.

“I believe it was waiting for you to realize the identity of your soulmate.”

Tony was filled with a sudden need to see Pepper. “Don’t wait up for me, Jarvis.”

“Yes, sir,” Jarvis said, a smile in his voice.


End file.
